What kind of restaurants and food you can find in Japan?
This blog is for "Food Lovers" who are planning to travel in Japan, who are non-Japanese speakers living in Japan and all who are interested in food culture of Japan!
英語で日本の食文化を紹介するブログです。

6 posts from August 2012

30 August 2012

Following our post introducing a tonkatsu (deep fried pork cutlet, wrapped by bread crumbs) restaurant two years ago, we found another recommendable unit serving the menu in Shibuya (渋谷). When we refer to Shibuya, many may be reminded by the diagonal crossing filled with a lot of people. Three months ago, the newest shopping complex Hikarie (ヒカリエ) opened in Shibuya,attracting local both fashionistas and foodies.

Today's our feature a tonkatsu restaurant is geographically close to Hikarie but it may be phycologically far from such the latest spots.

Katsukichi (かつ吉) in Shibuya is about 5 minutes walk from JR Shibuya staion and only a few minutes from Hikarie. It is just a few blocks away from Shibuya Police station along Meiji street.

Please do not miss the Japanese style gate on the ground floor of a modern building.

The traditional gate is rare to be found in central part of Tokyo.

As long as you can find it, you will feel something to raise your expectation.

Once you enter into the restaurant on the basement floor, at its cozy space decorated with thick wooden boards and antique tablewares, you will never be reminded that you are in the bustring modern Shibuya town.

Tables on the main space are enough big to be shared by 4 people and be relaxed.

The restaurant also offers Japanese style seating with lower tables for larger group.

After ordering our meal, 3 pots containing each different kinds of pickles were provided.

At tonkatsu restaurants, shreded cabbage is a "must" side dish served with deep-fried pork.

Katsukichi is espceially generous and serves shreded cabbage in a big bowl,

Tonkatsu or it is simply called "katsu". The word "katsu"comes from Western menu "cutlet" and "ton" of tonkatsu represents pork in Japanese.

What I ordered for my lunch was "katsu-don" (カツ丼, pork cutlet on rice bowl) which has been my favourite menu since youth age. It brings us fancy harmony of pork, bread crumb skin of it, broken egg seasoned with Japanese stock soup or soy sauce etc and rice.

There could be many choices not only pork cutlet but also steak, hamburg, pork sautee on the menu. But there is no reason to avoid standard "tonkatsu" dish at tonkatsu restaurant. Some including Katsukichi offer 2 types of pork meat, "hire" (or fillet, ひれ, pork tenderloin) and "lose" (ロース, pork loin). And you could have an option like above, Katsudon (pork cutlet with egg on top of rice)

Usually tonkatsu is served as a set menu with rice and miso soup. For dinner time, some restaurants may serve the menu as a single plate and it will be a good match with beer or other alcohol drink.

After (or before) you enjoy tonkatsu at Katsukichi, don't forget to drop by the bathroom. On the way to it, you will discover nice pieces of Japanese antique, such as old sign boards etc.

26 August 2012

Following our first post this month about gourmet burger in Ningyocho, if you do not have a chance to visit Ningyocho, the small old town..., our second feature of burgers in Tokyo, they are located in places which are more familier for international tourists.

J.S.Burgers cafe is produced by a Japanese casual apparel brand group, Journal Standard. The brand store express the brand's world through the cafe attached to its boutiques in Harajuku, Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ikebukuro, providing high quality American style hamburgers and other snacks.

19 August 2012

In Tokyo, the blistering heat of summer is trying to make us lose appetite almost everyday on August, while definitely consuming our physical energy. Nutrition is important for us under this hard weather. Today's feature, Udon (うどん) noodle is, we believe, an option to combat with summer heat and to take nutritious food more easily.

First of all, Udon noodle is a major kind of Japanese traditional noodle along with Soba (そば). How different Udon is from Soba? Well, mainly...

Udon noodle is made of wheat flour and the noodle is in white color. On the other hand, soba is of buckwheat and the color is darker and looks in gray. Also they are different in diameter in many cases. If we compare them with Italian pasta spaghetti that many of you know, Udon has larger diameter than spaghetti does but soba has smaller than or almost similar size with the Italian noodle. We are sure, now you can distinguish between udon and soba, if they are both on a table.

As for difference in taste, soba has a bit stronger buckwheat flavor, while udon made of wheat flour has less grain taste. As it is for rice, Udon can be better match with other ingredients or sauce than soba. For example, more often Udon can be cooked with curry (Japanese style), kimchi (Korean hot pickles), beef or minched meat. One of Udon's features is the chewy texture. Soba is more suitable to enjoy the noodle's taste itself with Japanese stock soup and in some cases faint flavour ingredients such as leaf vegetable or seaweed.

Udon and soba noodles can be seen across Japan and they are slightly different versions by regions in term of noodle diameter, soup and typical accompanying ingredients. As for the soup, in East part including Tokyo, it looks dark like soy sauce while it has more delicate flavor with lighter color in West including Kyoto and Osaka.

Well, if you feel simple udon or soba bowl is too gentle, we recommend that you try Udon in more flavouful style like Italian pasta.

Tsurutontan (つるとんたん) is a good place to try and enjoy Udon noodle in different styles. Many of their units are located in night spots area of both Tokyo and Osaka. Roppongi branch is also one of them. In the biggest night spot area, Roppongi, it is just a few minutes walk from Roppongi crossing where you won't feel uncomfortable to speak in English or any other than Japanese.

The Udon specialized restaurant Tsurutontan is totally Japanese world visually. What's different from ordinary traditional Udon restaurants is that we can find more younger people who are less likely to take such old style meal. Partly it is because of the location and the rest Tsurutontan's modern and variety noodle attracts them.

We can also find some Japanese traditional objects

(some maybe antiques) at the restaurant.

The kitchen is just behind a counter table.

It offers so many different versions of noodle and they are served in very big (almost-wash-basin like ) bowls. We guess the surprise is "made in Osaka", the restaurant's origin.

From typical curry sauce to Sukiyaki, mentaiko (spicy cod roe), cooked with miso paste, with shrimp in cream sauce as Western style or some of them are seved cold... With the price around Yen 2000 or even less, it is hard to decide one from so many attractive choices.

Finally with tempura plate, I took

The smooth texture is easy to take them into your mouth as long as it is appropriately caught by chopsticks. (or don't hesitate to ask folk or to use spoon, it is actually hard even for Japanese locals.)

The noodle is chewy and whippy. That represents good quality of and carefully cooked Udon.

When we finish the udon meal, our energy had been filled up and were ready to get back to the severe hot summer

Tsurutontan opens from 11a.m. to next morning 7:30 a.m. Yes, it also welcomes those have enjoyed nightlife around the area. And another unit is at Haneda International Airport.

12 August 2012

Obviously "hamburger" is speciality of U.S.A. Many people have it when they travel in the states. How about in Japan? We surely recommend, if you have a chance, that you try a "gourmet burger" in Tokyo.

For this several years, new hamburger shops have caught Japanese locals' attention, as they provide the highest standard of burgers. As you know, hamburger consists of many different ingredients such as bus (bread), minched beef, special sauce, cheese and filing food other than beef pate. We believe that the process to make a good burger requires knowledge, experiences and skills to find high quality ingredients, to consider the best combination of all of them, and to cook original sauce instead of tomato ketchap etc with a lot of work.

Now you could imagine why tasty gourmet burgers exist in Tokyo. Some Japanese chef with patience have sought for how to cook the best burgers and "gourmet burgers" are the result of that.

Brozers’, we feature on today's post is one of the restaurants which attract locals by their burger menu in Ningyocho (人形町). It is not rare that we find a long queue in front of the burger restaurant.

As its brocher explains, something like what we told is there...

Brozers' burger is created by integration of "American freedom and optimism" plus "Japanese craftmanship and inquiring mind."

The restaurant makes its full and best effort to select the best ingredient and conditions for the most delicious burger. The chef found the best way to fold pieces of lettuce, for example.

Surely you must be curiouse what kind of burgers are provided.

Now let's see...

Brozers' speciality, LOT burger

including bacon, cheese, pinapple and either of 4 kinds of sauce as guet's choice

The original recipi comes from Australia, where the chef had trained, and is tuned in the restaurant's original style.

The restaurant also offers plenty of choices and combinations;

cheese, avocado, egg, bacon, chilibeans, pineapple for filling,

tar tat, teriyaki, hot chili for sauce

chicken for alternative pate, etc.

So anyone can find the most favourite burger for each of them.

"avocado cheese" burger

Their burgers are enough big to satisfy anyone's appetite.

For Japanese ladies, it might be too big?

No no, the taste makes you finish the plate

By the way, you might recognize the spelling of the restaurant's name, Brozers'. It sounds like typo error of "brother". As per the brocher again, the owner purposely changed the spelling from "brother" to "brozer." He express his passion to make his effort through to the last moment by the letter "Z" , which is the last one in arphabetical order.

Best effort to the end...then it can't be ordinary one

Brozers' also offers "take-away" service at the stand near the main restaurant.

Ningyocho is a cosy old town where you can find small boutiques selling Japanese traditional products. It will be good to have lunch at Brozers' before or after strolling in Ningyocho town, not far from Nihombashi, central district of Tokyo.

06 August 2012

The weather in Tokyo is harsh and very hot as if it was going to make everyhthing melted.

In this severe climate condition, to chill out and be indulged in a nice cafe is the most happiest moment for Tokyoites.

Nicolai Bergmann's cafe is one of such oasis spots in fancy Aoyama town, central Tokyo.

You may know the name of Nicolai Bergmann, the globally known Danish flower artist.

The cafe is a part of his flagship florist shop of Japan and it looks to be no border between the cafe and flower boutique.

The large parts of space surrounded by gray concrete walls, floor and ceiling is decorated with green plants.

Green, flower and plants, of course all beautifully presented, will come into your sight, whereever you will be at the cafe by Nicolai Bergmann.

Sit in and look at the table

Oh Where are we

Food menu at Nicolai Bergmann is mainly Danish or Northern European with some other Western flavour. Here as well, Nicolai Bergmann offers "green" sald in a big bowl.

Danish style open sandwich and salmon bagel

Coffee in Bodum glass again from Denmark, milk & sugar for it.

These thick glass bottles make us smile, reminding us our school lunch.

The price for lunch around Yen 1000 is too good to take a rest in the green oasis, escaping from melting hot air outside...

Nicolai Bergmann flagship store is a few minutes walk from Omotesando subway station. When the climate is mild, not too hot, it will be a good stoll either from Shibuya or Meiji Shrine and Harajuku station.

03 August 2012

Recently About Food in Japan site owner attended a speech by Mrs. Noriko Yanagihara (柳原紀子氏) at Edo Yugaku program (江戸遊学, Enjoy and learn from Edo period). From her speech and book in Japanese, we found many interesting stories to know how our life and food are connected with Edo culture. We would like to share some of them here, of course, in English.

First of all, Mrs. Yanagihara is heading Yanagihara School of Traditional Japanese Cuisine, together with her husband. The family has organized "Kinsaryu" (近茶流) learning program for cooking technique, host manner, etiquette since Edo period. Even today, through their honorable activities on cooking classes and publishing, we are able to know traditional Japanese cuisine and manners related.

Here we briefly introduce some clues of culture in Edo period and what we can find in our modern life.

*Tokyo's main fish market was in Nihombashi (日本橋), before moved to Tsukiji.

As many of you know, we have the biggest fish market in Tsukiji. In Edo period, it was in Nihombashi, where we can find now Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Mitsukoshi Department flagship store and the Bank of Japan. We cannot sense feeling of seashore any longer there but a few hundreds years ago Nihombashi was very close to the sea.

We can find the vital fish market scene at Nihombashi depicted in Ukiyoe picture by Kuniyasu Utagawa as "flourishing Nihombashi fish market".

In modern days, some trace of the fish market can be still found in Nihombashi; established "katsuobushi" (dried bonito, essential ingredient of stock soup for Japanese cuisine) and "nori" (dried seaweed) houses and cooking knife stores are based in Nihombashi, we can find town name with characters representing beach or sea related, such as net (ami, 網) or beach (hama, 浜) for the area around Nihombashi.

Nihombashi today

*Fast food in Edo period

Sushi, soba noodle and tempura, which are appreciated as Japanese traditional cuisine and some even as luxury, had been started as "fast food" in Edo period. Under the centralized government system of Edo, many samurai and other class of men were forced to stay in the capital of Japan, Edo (currently called Tokyo), being away from their home town and from wife and family. At the end of their hard working day, they often enjoyed snack and light meal at food stalls instead of home-cooking by themselves.

We guess... these people preferred food that could be taken quickly and that made diners feel four seasons. Sushi, soba noodle and tempura, all are that sort of Japanese food. Then they have been developed to what we know nowadays since they were born as fast food for samurai.

Uh... It is an interesting story to know isn't it?

*Salt for cleansing

You might find a very small mound of salt placed on both sides of an entrance gate at a traditional Japanese restaurant. You must wonder why they do so.

The mound of salt is called "mori-shio" (盛り塩, heaped salt) and is made for wishing good luck. Salt has been one of the most essential ingredients along with rice for Japanese and is considered as implying "clean" or "purity". We can also see Sumo wrestlers throw a handful of salt into Sumo mound before they start a match. The custom is also to make the ground clear psychologically. Japanese have that kind of sense since Edo period. Especially Sumo matches were often performed in front of the emperor or at shrines in that period.

Edo period was on 17th to 19th centuries and we feel that it is far from our life and is one a long long time ago. But knowing these stories, we become feeling familier a bit more with our ancestors and the facts may change our views to treat and understand what we have in this modern life.